Carrot and Cranberry Muffins

"I wanted a healthy breakfast muffin option that wasn't dry! The carrots give this such a delicious and moist texture. A lot can be added or left out of this recipe depending on taste and personal preference; popular options to include are raisins, ground nuts, or chocolate chips."

Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat egg into the butter mixture. Mash banana into the butter mixture until smoothly incorporated. Fold carrot and orange zest into the mixture.

Mix flour mixture into the butter mixture about 1/2 cup at a time to make a batter. Fold cranberries into the batter. Divide evenly between prepared muffin cups to fill nearly to the top.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 06, 2013

Chia seeds need to be soaked first before baking. These muffins came out just fine. First of all, I soaked my chia seeds in half cup applesauce to make the gel and used this gel instead of the butter called for. (soak for 5 minutes) No white sugar, just added half cup brown sugar only. Next time will try honey instead. Carrots and banana give it a moist texture but next time will try different ingredients. Great basic recipe for a healthy muffin. Love those chia seeds!

Most Helpful Critical Review

Dec 08, 2014

These are very dry and sweet. I had to mix the ingredients by hand, as the batter was insanely dry. The taste is good but if your batter seems way too dry try adding another banana or 1/2 cup greek yogurt or something.

Really, really good! My husband loved them, too.
I used 3/4c honey instead of sugar, 1C applesauce instead of banana,1.5C of cranberries and ground them slightly in the food processor. I omitted the orange zest.
I made two batches in one week they were so good! The first time I made 12 regular-sized muffins but had enough batter to also make 2 mini loaves. The second time it made 45 mini muffins.
BEWARE- the batter is THICK. (like, want my husband to stir for me.)

Had to make a few mods... just used whole wheat flour, used coconut oil instead of butter, only the 1/2 cup of brown sugar, used two little snack cups of unsweetened applesauce instead of the banana, and had to use grated apple instead of carrot - they turned out great! This is my new fav muffin recipe. And you can definitely play around with adding other stuff too like nuts or seeds.

I followed this recipe exactly except one tiny change. I used the pulp from juicing (carrot apple and orange) and it turned out incredibly delicious. Took them to work and everyone loved them. Thanks!!

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.